The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-01
FIRE ESCAPES AND TOUGHs.
The Strong Hold the Fire Department
Has Upon the People of New York.

Has Upon the People of New York.
NEW YORK. April 30.-The utility Of fire
escapes has been well tested during the
past week, for there have been several big
tenement house fires, and if it had not been
for the iron ladders on the outside of the
buildings an appalling loss of life would
unquestionably have resulted In nearly
every case the fires in the big tenement
houses have eaten away the stairways first.
A fire i'll tenement at night is an awful
thing, for the men. women and children are
packed away seventy or eighty feet above
the ground at the rate Of fifty or sixty ON a
floor, and they are absolutely at the mercy of
the flames unless the proper fire escapes are
at hand There is one thing that every
citizen in New York believes in with his
heart and soul-and that is the fire depart
ment. In the tenement fires of last week the
tenants gathered in groups on the fire
escapes high up in the air and waited with
white faces for the arrival of the fire depart
ment. Few, if any of them, attempted to
climb down the narrow ladders. They
simply chung together and watched the
streets below
When the life-saving corps of the fire de-
partnent got to them they obeyed the fire
| men like children and followed each other
down the ladders under the direction of the
popular heroes without thought of revolt
or independent action.
The tenement house people are not always
docile, however. In the presence of the
flames they are terrified, but when they go
abroad they develop into terrors themselves.
When they begin the excursion season they
are constant menace to the thousands of
New Workers who are anxious to live in the
suburbs, where they can come to town every
day. The crowds of excursiOniSts whoOp
things up at stated intervals during the
summer season. THE O'Mulligan Coteries, ="
''Gentlemens Sons from Way Back"
Real Bloods," Square Back Rangers, y
''O'Gilligan's Own Friends" and other such
exclusive social organizations leave
weather and settle like a flock
of locusts ON the prettiest country within
easy reach. When the New York tough is
off on a holiday the universe itself stands in
awe. Such thing as a casual murder does
not disturb any ones serenity during the
picnic season, and the invasion of private
grounds, including insults to an unprotected
family and general carnage among the flow
ers and shrubbery, pass as the regulation
thing. Some of the places along the Hud,
son have armed cOnstableS with shOtguns,
howitzers, ETC., to keep the excursionists off
but the danger which turks at these points
seems to add an additional charm to them,
and the roughs and toughs of both sexes
makes the beautiful environs of New York
a source of terror instead of happiness to
the reputable citizens of the town. Efforts
are making to abate the evil to a certain ex-
tent by providing regular grounds for the
picnics. But the genuine New York cough
likes his bit of nature in simple form. He
doesn't care for swings, merry-go grounds,
flowers, shooting galleries and other time
hOnOred and familiar aDDurtenancoS of the
professional picnic grounds, but likes that
which is natures own. Hence he descends
with malice aforethought on the spot where
he is least expected, ard havoc and misery
results. The river is afoat with police boats,
and the shores are lined with armed men in
preparation for the usual spring outing of
the New York tough. BLAKELY HALL.